Collection Locations

The print collections of The Field Museum Library are located in various locations throughout the building.

The general circulating collection is located in 9 different stack areas throughout the building. Adjacent to the reading room in rooms 3210 & 3206 are the "Main" collection that include the subject areas of: History, Geography, Museum Studies, Anthropology and the general periodicals in science, natural history and zoology.

There are 8 departmental/divisional collections located near the departments they primarily serve. They are: Botany, Geology, & the 6 divisions of Zoology (Birds, Mammals, Insects, Invertebrates, Fishes, Amphibians & Reptiles). While these collections are not housed among the main library collection, they are still maintained by library staff. See associated file below to locate the call number ranges for each collection.

Here are more collection locations (with descriptions) that you will find on our online catalog:

Ref. - The Reference collection is located in the main reading room. It includes: foreign languge dictionaries, oversized atlases and encyclopedias. These materials are non-circulating.

Arc. - This collection is located in the Director's office. It includes: Field Museum publications, exhibition guides and published materials specifically pertaining to museum history and collections history. These materials are non-circulating.

R.R. - This collection is located on a small group of shelves behind the reference desk (under the elephants). It includes: sound recordings, video and unique items that would otherwise be damaged or lost in the main stacks.

CRPT. - This collection is housed in the "crypt" or caged in area in room 3210. It includes: "rare" and fragile materials.

CRPT. Ref. - This collection is housed in the "crypt" or caged in area in room 3210. It was formerly part of the rare book room reference collection and could still be used as such. Space issues and easier accessibility warranted their move to this location.

R.B. - This location is housed in the rare book room. Items cataloged in the rare book room do not follow the Library of Congress Classification System. Most rare book call numbers include: R.B., Collection Name, Year of publication and Number of slot when item was acquired (ex., Gen. 1810.2). Collection names include: Gen. (General), Laufer, Ayer, Kunz, Misc. (Miscellaneous).

R.B.(R.) - This collection is also housed in the rare book room and serves as a frequently used reference collection. These materials are non-circulating.